On February 17, Ash Wednesday, the pro-life organization 40 Days for Life kicked off their Spring 2021 campaign, which is taking place through most of the Lenten season in 567 cities across the globe. 40 Days for Life assists local pro-life leaders in organizing around-the-clock, prayerful, and peaceful vigils outside abortion facilities to end abortion in their communities. The organization also encourages participants to fast for an end to abortion, knock on doors in neighborhoods, reach out to religious leaders to raise awareness about the campaign, and for groups of prayer warriors and sidewalk counselors to be a constant presence outside the abortion clinics 24-hours-per-day during the campaign if possible.
“The Holy Father greatly appreciates the dedicated work that you and everyone involved in 40 Days for Life are engaged in to promote respect for the lives of all unborn children,” the Vatican Secretariat of State said in a public message to 40 Days for Life. “His Holiness assures you of his prayerful support for you, your colleagues and all those whose prayer, fasting and sacrifice are saving countless lives and giving glory to God.”
40 Days for Life came about in Bryan-College Station, Texas, after Planned Parenthood opened an abortion facility there in 1998, strategically close to Texas A&M University. In 2004, after six years of Planned Parenthood operating successfully in the community, four leaders in the area’s pro-life coalition sat and prayed around a wooden table for an hour and became captivated by the timeframe of 40 days, a common Biblical period of time appearing in the lives of Noah when he was on the Ark (Gen. 7:12), Moses while he was on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 24:18), Jesus’ temptation in the desert (Mt. 4:1-11), among other stories. The four leaders would launch the first 40 Days for Life campaign six weeks after this experience which saw more than 1,000 new volunteers cover all of the 960 vigil hours, causing the abortion rate at that Planned Parenthood to fall by 28 percent.
40 Days for Life initiated their first national campaign in 2007 and, since then, over 18,000 unborn babies have been reportedly saved by more than 1,000,000 participants. Additionally, over 100 abortion facilities and multiple referral centers where campaigns have been present closed, and more than 200 abortion workers have left the industry. After cancelling the 2020 spring 40 Days for Life campaign after COVID-19 caused widespread lockdowns, local and national leaders cooperated to hold many law-abiding, prayerful vigils during the fall 2020 and spring 2021 campaigns.
Rita Russo, Campaign Director for 40 Days for Life Boston, started Boston’s now-regular 40 Days for Life spring and fall campaigns nine years ago after praying outside a local abortion clinic for many years during the early 2000s and being concerned that Boston did not have their own local 40 Days for Life campaign.
“I knew absolutely nothing when I started and I couldn’t get anyone out on the sidewalk,” Russo said. “[But] I kept adding more events and now we have five events a week… that has worked for me. We keep growing, getting new people, and there’s a couple hundred people out on the sidewalk each campaign that wouldn’t be there otherwise, so that’s a good thing.”
The spring 2021 40 Days for Life Boston Campaign hosts Friday night candlelight vigils where the Stations of the Cross and Divine Mercy Chaplet are prayed, Saturday morning Spanish vigils where the same prayers are said together in Spanish, Sunday family vigils, among other events.
The international and local campaign will conclude on Sunday, March 28 and will have their second and final campaign of the year from September to November 2021.
You can contact Rita Russo for more information on joining the 40 Days for Life Boston Campaign at 40daysforlifeboston@gmail.com.
Max Montana is a senior studying philosophy and theology. When not writing for The Torch, he enjoys reading more about the Catholic faith and philosophy, serving the unborn and mothers in need, and hanging out with friends. Max is honored to hail from the state with many gators and the bishop of the moon: Florida.
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